Apparatus for making ice.



Patentd lan I4, |902. J. HuMEs.

APPARATUS FUR'HAKING ICE.

(Application led Apr. 8, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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APPARATUS FOR MAKING ICE.

(Application led Apr. S, 1897.)'

2 Shasta-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

ou Vl E N nn 0 I T A INVENTOR e llnrrnn Smarts Farrar @ritten JAMES HUMES, O F NEYV YORK, N. Y.

PPARATUS FOR MAKING ICE.

SPEGBZFGAEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,956, dated January 14, '1902.

Application led April 8,1897. Serial No. 631,223. (N0y model.)

T0 cl/ZZ wzont 15 may concern.-

Beit known that I, JAMES Hui/ins, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Making Ice,of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.4

My invention relates to the manufacture of ice, and the principal objects of the invention are to obtain ice that is comparatively free from air-bubbles and sediment.

To these ends my invention consists in the various novel and peculiar arrangements and combinations of the several parts of the apparatus, all as hereinafter fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

I have illustrated a type of my invention in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan View of my improved icefreezing vessel, together with the detachable air-injector. the Vessel, the plane of which is horizontal. Fig. 3 is a reduced view of a vertical section of the apparatus, taken on the planeindicated by line 3 3, Fig. l. Fig. 4 isa reduced view of a vertical section of the apparatus, taken on a plane at right angles to that of the section in Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views, in horizontal and vertical sec# tions, respectively, showing one form of my improved vessel with the ice formed therein, as hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, in whichlike numbers of reference indicate like parts throughout, 1 indicates a four-sided vessel, the detailed construction of which will be hereinafter set forth. The entire bottom 2 of the vessel is covered with insulating material 3, and two of the opposite sides 4 and 5 are insulated practically throughout their entire areas to protect them against freezing temperature, so that it will serve to retard the freezing of the water in the vicinity of such protected places or portions of the vessel. The two remaining sides 6 and 7 of the vessel are provided with insulating material 8 and 9, respectively, which extends entirely across the width of such side, but only part Fig. 2 is a view of a section of' way up the same. Bythis arrangement there is provided upon each ofthe sides G and 7 an uninsulated or unprotected upper and main portion of each side,which particular places constitute what I term the freezing zones, to which the action of the :freezing temperature or agent or brine is directly applied, so that the water in the can will be quickly frozen in the vicinity of such exposed parts,while at all other places it will be retarded. With this form of vessel or can when the same is set down in a tank of brine or freezing mixture the water in the can begins to freeze upon the inner surfaces of the exposed portions of the opposite sides ti and 7 and continues to form rapidly in this vicinity and builds up inwardly toward the center of the can.` The retardation of the freezing action at the particular' places indicated may thus be utilized to preserve a body of water 10 in the lower part of the vessel and a vertical column of water 11 communicating therewith, as clearly indicated in the diagrammatic views in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. In the two said figures, 12 and 13 indicate two separate and distinct blocks of ice formed upon the respective exposed sides 6 and 7 of the v-essel. By drawing the ice under this condition two blocks are thereby obtained from one vessel.

The vessel or can shown is constructed in a novel manner. lts bottom 2 is formed with a downwardly-extending iiange 14, to which are secured the lower edges of the respective sides 4 5 and 6 7. The sides and 7 are formed fiat and without projections, while the other two sides have their side edges provided wit-h'flanges 15 16 and 17 18, respectively, which overlap the sides 6 and 7 and are secured thereto. Upon the outer surface of each side 4 and 5 is arranged a plate 19, having flanges 2() 21 along itsrespective side edges, a flange 22 at its bottom, andan offset 23 at its lower portion. This plate 19 is mounted in place by securing its bottom flange to` the lower edge of the side to which it is 'a-pplied and its side iianges to the exterior of the flanges of said side and is spaced therefrom, so as to form an air-chamber24, which in addition to being utilized as an insulating medium may also be brought into service in drawing the blocks of ice by the introduction therein of warm water or air to thaw the ice IOO sufficiently7 to detach it. Between the sides et and 5 and the adjacent plate 19 I insert at suitable intervals spacing blocks or strips 3l 31, which extend, preferably, throughout the height of the vessel and serve to keep the parts uniformly spaced and prevent the sides from buckling. The spacing-pieces which are shown located in the corners also serve to insulate such points. A second plate 25, shaped similarly to plate 19, it being provided with a bottom flange ,426, an offset 27, and [langes 28 and 29 at the. side edges, is secured over each of said sides by uniting the bottom flange 26 to the lower part thereof and the flanges 28 and 29 to the side flanges of the plate over which it is placed. This second plate is suitably spaced from the first-named one, so as to form between the two asuitable space or pocketfor the introduction of granulated insulating material 30. By securing the overlapping flanges of the several parts together, (and for which purpose ordinary rivets or bolts may be used in addition to solder,) the vessel is strengthened and materially stiffened at its corners and throughout its height.

The insulating material 3 at the bottom of the can may be constructed in the form of a block, which is set in the recess formed by the depending flange 14 extending from the bottom, While the insulating material 8 and 9 at the base of the sides 6 and 7 may be secured in place in any suitable manner. Within the angle formed by the offset 27 of the side plates 25 blocks of suitable insulating material 32 may be inserted, which Will still further tend to retard the freezing of the water within that vicinity.

In order to drive out the air naturally contained in the water from which the ice is tov be made, I agitate the body of water in the vessel by injecting air into it during the freezing process. This I do by means of a vertically-arranged pipe 35, provided with lateral perforations 36, arranged at suitable intervals throughout its length. v The lower end of this pipe is arranged above the bottom of the vessel and is centrally disposed therein. At its upper end the pipe is detachably secured to a removable support 37 and is in comy munication with a hose or supply-pipe 38, by

means of which the air is supplied to it from a suitable source, which is not shown. The support 37 consists simply in a bar that is removably placed across the top of the vessel. As the freezing progresses the air is injected into the Water, and should the ice as it forms close first the perforations in the pipe at the lower end and so on upwardly the air may still be forced in through the remaining holes thereabove. In case the injector-pipe should become frozen in the ice it may be readily disconnected from the supply-pipe and detached from its support, so that the latter can be removed While the injecting-pipe is left in the ice to be subsequently recovered after the ice has been drawn from the can.

In carrying out my invention any kind of suitable and well-known insulating material may be used for the particular places specified, and the same is preferably secured fast to the vessel or can, so as to form practically a part thereof in order not to become detached when the portable form. of vessel is moved about in drawing the ice, which is usually done by lifting the vessel out of the brinetank and tipping it over to discharge the ice.

I use the form ofvessel or can herein shown in making ice by setting the same down in the freezing mixture or brine so that each 'side of the vessel is practically submerged therein. The can is then filled with the water from which the ice is to be made, and the ice begins to form upon the interior of the vessel at the zone or part thereof which is exposed upon its exterior to the direct action of the freezing medium, as already described. When the ice is to be taken from the vessel, the latter is lifted out of the freezing liquid and tipped up in inclined position to empty the contents. As there is practically no liability of freezing sediment in the ice by use of my invention, I am thereby enabled to use water that has not been distilled.

I wish to be understood as not limiting my invention to the specific form herein shown, as various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, isl 1. The combination of an ice-making vessel, a support extending across the top of said vessel, a rigid air-in j ectin g pipe provided with a series of lateral openings practically throughout its length and extending into the vessel substantially throughout the depth thereof and detachably mounted upon said support, a exible air-pipe detachably connected with the upper end of said rigid section, whereby in the event of the rigid pipe becoming frozen in the block of ice such pipe may be disengaged from the support and also from the flexible supply-pipe, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. An ice-making vessel comprising the combination of a bottom provided with a flange, side pieces secured by the lower edges to the flange of said bottom, one or more of said sides having mounted upon its exterior a plate having its two side edges flanged and its lower edge provided with an offset and secured by said lower edge and the two flanges of its side edges to the said side and suitably spaced therefrom, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. An ice-making Vessel comprising the combination of a bottom formed with ailange, two opposite sides of said vessel being formed by plates each secured by its lower edge to the flange of said bottom piece, side pieces secured by their lower edges to the flange of said bottom, two of the said sides opposite IOO IIO

each other having their side edges provided with flanges overlapping and secured to the two remaining sides, and a plate flanged at its bottom and side edges and provided at its bottom edge with an offset and secured by said flanges to the side of the vessel and spaced therefrom to form an air-chamber, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. An ice-making vessel comprising the combination of a bottom formed with a flan ge, two opposite sides of said vessel being formed by plates each secured by its lower edge to the flange of saidvbottom piece, side pieces secured by their lower edges to the ange of said bottom, two of the said sides opposite each other having their side edges provided with anges overlapping and secured to the two remaining sides, and a plate flanged at its bottom and side edges and provided at its bottom edge with an offset and secured by said Iianges to the side of the vessel and spaced therefrom to form an air-chamber, a second plate flanged at its bottom and side edges and provided at its bottom edge with an offset and secured by its flanges to the side of the vessel and spaced from the first-mentioned plate, and suitable insulating material placed Within the space between the two said plates for insulating or protecting the side ot' the vessel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. An ice-making vessel having the bottom and two opposite sides wholly insulated or protected against freezing temperature, and having the other two opposite sides thereof provided with non-conducting material from the base-line part way up and entirely across the same with the remaining upper portion thereof free from non-conducting material and constituting the freezing zones, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of April, 1897, in the presence of the two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES HUMES.

Vitnesses:

WILLIS FoWLER, SAMUEL M. CHEsNUT. 

